On May 16, the board of trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) announced that they had selected the Rev. Mary Katherine Morn as the human rights organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. Since 2014, Morn has served as the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Director of Stewardship and Development and Special Advisor to the President.

The Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, President of the UUA, congratulated Rev. Morn, saying, “I am so pleased for the opportunity this brings for even stronger partnership between the UUA and UUSC. This is exciting for Mary Katherine and a great recognition of her leadership and executive skills. Mary Katherine has been an incredible asset to our Stewardship and Development work, creating a high-impact fundraising team and providing steady, pastoral leadership through the transitions last year. Though she will be greatly missed, including by me personally, I look forward to collaborating with her in new ways at the UUSC on behalf of our shared faith.”

In a message to UUA staff, Morn wrote, “It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve these last four years as Director of Stewardship and Development for the UUA. In this time my respect and appreciation for the work of our Association has grown and deepened… I will miss working with you in the ways we have had the opportunity to work during these years. I look forward to continuing to work with many of you in my new role as we continue to build a powerful working relationship between the UUSC and the UUA. I am humbled to be following in the footsteps and joining the ranks of so many courageous advocates and faithful justice-makers in serving the profoundly important mission of the Service Committee, to advance human rights and social justice around the world.”

Morn also expressed her gratitude for Frederick-Gray’s leadership. “I want to thank Susan Frederick-Gray. I want to thank her for stepping forward in leadership in these challenging times, for being a spiritually grounded, bold, smart, passionate, driven, and loving leader for our faith. What a joy after all of these years of appreciating Susan’s ministry to have this year to work with her so closely. I look forward to the new ways we will be working together.”

Morn’s last day at the UUA will be June 8th. “To prepare for the transition,” Frederick-Gray said, “we are putting together plans for the coming months to ensure our planned stewardship activities continue on pace, sharing leadership in the interim with the Stewardship and Development team’s senior staff.”